1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a card having a built-in storage medium such as an IC or other semiconductor device which is used, for example, in a data storage medium of a computer, and more particularly, to a plastic package for encasing and protecting the body of a card with a built-in storage medium such as an IC or other semiconductor device.
2. Description of Prior Art
FIG. 5 shows a conventional plastic package for covering and protecting the body of a card which has a built-in storage medium such as an IC or other semiconductor device. Referring to the figure, the plastic package illustrated comprises two rectangular half case bodies 1 made of plastic and having U-shaped sections between which a lamellar card body (not shown) having a built-in storage medium is held. Joint surfaces 1a which project along the periphery of each half case body 1 are then placed against each other and are bonded by an adhesion means such as an adhesive.
As can be seen from FIG. 5, in this conventional plastic package used for a card having a built-in storage medium, the joint surfaces 1a of the two half case bodies 1 are flat and the two half case bodies 1 are bonded together by applying an adhesive to one or both of the joint surfaces 1a, or by charging and permeating an adhesive from the outside between the joint surfaces 1a when they are in close contact.
As described above, a conventional plastic package for a card having a built-in storage medium is formed by bonding two half case bodies 1. However, when an adhesive is applied to one or both of the joint surfaces 1a for bonding the half case bodies together, a sufficient amount of adhesive must be applied so that the two joint surfaces 1a can be virtually uniformly bonded together. However, there is a problem in that the adhesive will be squeezed out into the interior or the exterior of the joint surfaces 1a of the half case bodies 1, and thus the appearance of the package is likely to be impaired. In addition, since the adhesive must be uniformly applied to the entire joint surfaces, the operation is tedious and time-consuming.
If the joint surfaces 1a of the half case bodies 1 are first placed in close proximity with each other, and the adhesive is then charged and permeated between the joint surfaces 1a from the outside, there is a problem in that nonuniformity is likely to be produced in the permeation of the adhesive between the joint surfaces 1a, namely the adhesive will not disperse over the entire joint surfaces 1a, resulting in unevenness of the adhesive between the joint surfaces 1a, extended bonding times, and soiling by the adhesive of the peripheries in the bonding portions of the package.
In addition, the above-described two bonding methods have the following problems. Specifically, it is difficult to precisely locate the two joint surfaces 1a; the joint surfaces 1a can easily be displaced during the adhesion; and it is difficult to precisely coincide the joint surfaces 1a with each other so that the peripheries of the bonding portions are not made flush with each other, thus resulting in reduced workability.